Jack Anderson: Motion 19 was not helped by ‘internal inconsistencies’

The problem with motion 19 was its starting point: that all teams have to have a chance of competing in the Sam Maguire every year. The resulting system meant that if a similar one was adopted, say, to decide the champions of English football, then (as of Saturday night) Manchester United would be out (6th in EPL) but Plymouth (top of League One) and Forest Green (top of League Two) would be in.

A general view of a voting 'zapper' during the GAA Special Congress at Croke Park in Dublin. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Michael O'Hehir's commentaries evoke sepia summers of past provincial and All-Ireland finals.

One of O’Hehir’s finest moments was not GAA related at all. It was the Aintree Grand National of 1967. A loose horse, Popham Downs, drifted across the 23rd fence on the course. A pile-up ensued, seriously hindering the field, including the favourite Honey End. Foinavon, who until then was treating the race as seriously as a stag weekend in Liverpool, avoided the carnage, winning by 15 lengths at odds 100/1.

Motion 18 at Saturday’s GAA Congress (the equal provinces approach of four green fields of eight acres/teams each) was the Popham Downs of Saturday’s GAA Congress. It never had a chance of winning and only served to annoy everyone, including the favourite (Motion 19, a summer league-championship). In the end, it meant the unheralded owner, trainer, and jockey combination of provincial championships, backdoor qualifiers, and the Tailteann Cup emerged victorious as the preferred championship format for 2022.

Motion 19 was not helped by some inherent flaws. Using a legal nicety, it had some “internal inconsistencies”. Keith Duggan in the Irish Times simply said it was “bonkers”.

Nor was Motion 19 assisted by the tepid support it received at a press conference last week by the GAA president, Larry McCarthy and CEO, Tom Ryan.

Ryan’s reaction, in particular, was a bit like how Irish people generally greet a dessert trolley: “I’m not really sure, do I have to? Ah sure, the chocolate cake will do.”

GAA Congress delegates know that a soft yes from the top table is really a nod saying, “it is OK to vote no if you don’t know.” And that is what happened on Saturday: Motion 19’s support had a soft, fondant centre.

So, what happens next? It seems like there are three options. The first is nothing at all. Saturday’s outcome stands. The GAA looks beyond its next Congress and into spring leagues and a “back-to-the-future” style championship.

The second is, reflecting on Saturday’s debate, the GAA’s hierarchy decides to revisit Motion 18 (on the provinces) or, thirdly, revise Motion 19 (summer league championship).

It is unclear as to whether the GAA’s management committee want to revisit restructuring of the football championship or even if procedurally they can do so. Let’s proceed on the basis they can, and, for example, the matter is remitted to a reconstituted calendar fixture committee to come up with amended proposals for the next Congress in early 2022.

The good thing is that the committee has excellent people on it and, in its previous iteration, has probably received hundreds of potential championship and fixture models from GAA aficionados around the country. I sent one but I am far from the GAA’s favourite academic. Alternative motions could be formulated quickly.

There are two learnings from Saturday’s debate. The first is that there remains a strong “meas” for the provincial system. Provincial championships are famished ground for many counties (Dublin’s current run of 11 Leinster titles is more at that level than Westmeath, Carlow, Longford, Wicklow Limerick, Clare, Waterford, Leitrim, and Fermanagh have collectively won in history) but county’s provincial roots run deep.

The allegiance to the football championships can be illustrated through a hurling example. Rationally, it makes sense to divide the Liam McCarthy Cup into two, round-robin groups of six based on the year’s league placings. The top two from each group would go into the semi-finals and the bottom teams into a relegation final to be replaced by the Joe McDonagh Cup winners. But rationality here means no Munster hurling championship and no Belichick/Brady-like face-off between Shefflin and Cody in next year’s Leinster championship, A system that combines provincial winners with the league is now worth serious consideration. It is one that has been previously promoted by Jim McGuiness and more recently by former GAA president Seán Kelly, who, in a good way, is the “canary in the mine” in terms of GAA ideas.

McGuiness’s proposal essentially reserves All-Ireland series placings for the provincial winners, who are then joined by those who emerge through the leagues.

Under this system, it is best to play the provincial championships and leagues in tandem. If you play the provincials first, the four winners would have little incentive to do well in the league and that could affect the integrity of the latter.

The integrity point was a key flaw in Motion 19. Because only five of the eight Division 1 teams could progress, if a team thought mid-league that it was not going to qualify, it might be tempted to “tank” on the grounds that you would be better off being a good Division 2 team than a mediocre Division 1 team.

A related problem with Saturday’s Motion 19 can be seen in this scenario: Tyrone get off to a slow start in 2022 (hangover from this year’s All-Ireland, etc) and end up in a league dogfight with Donegal for the fifth qualifying spot in Division 1. What if, in the final league round, Donegal face an unbeaten Kerry who have already qualified and (yerra) “rest” a few players, resulting in a sizeable Donegal victory, and seeing them go fifth on points difference above Tyrone. As they say in all good university exams: Discuss.

In the end the problem with Motion 19 was its starting point: That all teams have to have a chance of competing in the Sam Maguire every year. The resulting system meant if a similar one was adopted, say, to decide the champions of English football, then (as of Saturday night) Manchester United would be out (sixth in the Premier League) but Plymouth (top of League One) and Forest Green (top of League Two) would be in.

Finally, one thing about Saturday’s debate is that it was a relatively good one or a good one relative to previous debates at Congress. This idea that the GAA president appoints an independent, diverse grouping of people (not the usual suspects who maddeningly appear on every “strategic” committee) to make proposals, the merits, and flaws of which are publicly debated, might catch on.

In the end, the GAA gets a lot of things right. But as at Aintree in 1967, sport is unpredictable: The smallest obstacle on the course can cause the biggest headache. Occasionally, victory goes to a Fionavon — who waits to see what happens, avoids the mistakes of others, and plots their own deliberate way to the finish line. More usually the race is won by those who dare — like Cork jockey Johnny Allen who gave Joseph O’Brien’s State Of Rest a brilliant and brave ride to win the €3.2m Cox Plate (yes, I had money on) at Moonee Valley on Saturday here in Melbourne.

I hope the GAA adopts the latter’s attitude but whatever happens, the race for a restructured GAA football championship is not yet run.

Jack Anderson, Professor of Sports Law, Melbourne